Description:
Bruce McLeod was born in Kingston, Jamaica, in 1946. He discusses his family's roots in Jamaica and Cuba and his upbringing in Jamaica. He also explores social classes, regional distinctions, educational opportunities, British colonial rule and the Jamaican diaspora. He attended high school at Wolmer's in Kingston. Following his mother, who moved to the United States first, he immigrated in 1965 and lived in Brownsville, Brooklyn. Motivated to move to America to further his education, he relates the difficulties he encountered. While trying to enlist in the Air Force, he was drafted in 1967. After basic training at Fort Gordon, Georgia, he trained as a medical corpsman at Fort Sam Houston, Texas. He delves into his service as an Army combat medic in Vietnam in 1967-'68 and his experiences during the Tet offensive. After his military service, he got married, worked at an architectural firm, and went to school on the GI Bill to obtain an AAS in construction technology. He talks about becoming a citizen three years after returning from Vietnam. During his career, he worked as an architect.